Cataract
Symptoms and Detection
Common Symptoms
The most common symptoms of a cataract are
- cloudy or blurry vision and poor night vision
- glare -- headlights, lamps, or sunlight may appear too bright or a halo may appear around lights
- double vision or multiple images in one eye
- frequent prescription changes in your eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Tests for Cataract
Cataract is detected through a comprehensive eye exam that includes a visual acuity test, dilated eye exam, and tonometry.
Tests for Cataract
- The visual acuity test is an eye chart test that measures how well you see at various distances.
- In the dilated eye exam, drops are placed in your eyes to widen, or dilate, the pupils. Your eye care professional uses a special magnifying lens to examine your retina and optic nerve for signs of damage and other eye problems.
- In tonometry, an instrument measures the pressure inside the eye. Numbing drops may be applied to your eye for this test.
Dealing with Symptoms
The symptoms of early cataract may be improved with new eyeglasses, brighter lighting, anti-glare sunglasses, or magnifying lenses. If these measures do not help, surgery is the only effective treatment. Surgery involves removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial lens.
